Today's Features

Former state senator, journalist and professor of political sciences Dede Feldman will be the guest speaker at this month’s Voices of Los Alamos progressive advocacy meeting.

Feldman’s presentation will be based on her new book, “Another Way Forward,” which highlights the work of non-profits, social enterprises and grassroots organizations traveling another route to economic development and healthy communities.

This free event will be from 6:30–7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Church, 1738 N. Sage Loop, on Monday.

TODAY
The public is invited to a potluck dinner to learn about Polaris Charter School from 5:30-8 p.m. at Family Strengths Network, 3540 Orange St. Members of the Polaris team will be available to talk about the school and answer questions. Bring a dish to share! Polaris will engage students, grade sixth-eighth, in the community, environment, history and culture of northern New Mexico through personalized, hands-on learning experiences that strengthen and support student well-being and intellectual growth.
THURSDAY
Chamber Business Breakfast from 7:30-9 a.m. at UNM-LA Building 2, Room 230. Chief Building Official Michael Arellano and Fire Marshall Jeff Wetteland of Los Alamos County will discuss the county’s commercial code enforcement and building permits/licenses with a focus on how this may affect the business community. Register in advance only!
FRIDAY
Gentle Walk at 9 a.m. at the Nature Center. A gentle walk during which the emphasis is on discovery, not mileage gained. Admission: Free.
SATURDAY
Earth Day Festival from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Nature Center. Join us to celebrate Earth Day at the Los Alamos Nature Center, where there will be engaging activities, fun entertainment, and delicious food. Free.

This month’s Lunch with a Leader, a community event put on by the League of Women Voters, will feature Dr. Kurt Steinhaus, Los Alamos Public Schools superintendent.

The lunch is at 11:45 a.m. at Mesa Library on April 17.

Steinhaus was born in Los Alamos and has dedicated his career to education. His prior appointment was at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he served as director of student programs, education, workforce development, scholarships and community giving. Steinhaus has also served as Deputy Secretary of Education and Education Policy Advisory for the Governor of New Mexico. He and his wife Jo Beth have two children. Valerie is a software engineer at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Their son Kent is a hydrology engineer in Colorado, and his wife Katy is an Electrical Engineer.

Kurt is a lifetime member of Leadership New Mexico.

He will discuss school funding and the effect it has on Los Alamos.

The League’s annual meeting will follow, when various decisions on positions will be made and dues for next year will be collected. Non-members are welcome.

Mason is what’s known as “puggle,” a cross between a beagle and a pug. He is a curious little guy, and is only 3 years old.

He arrived at the shelter March 22 as a transfer from a dog kennel, and has been a very good boy during his stay at the Los Alamos County Animal Shelter. Mason gets along well with the other dogs, and is friendly with cats also.

Mason has a short coat of tan and white.

According to Los Alamos County Animal Shelter volunteers say he’s also really sweet and loves his snacks. Mason has been microchipped, vaccinated and is ready for his forever home.

He walks well on a leash, and knows some basic commands, so he’ll be sure to stay out of trouble.

Colorado has received a lot of attention recently as one of the first states to allow recreational marijuana, but it’s also legalizing other things. Denver, one of the nation’s hottest urban real estate markets, is surrounded by municipalities that allow backyard chicken flocks.

This isn’t just happening in Colorado. Backyard chickens are cropping up everywhere. Nearly 1 percent of all U.S. households surveyed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported owning backyard fowl in 2013, and 4 percent more planned to start in the next five years. That’s over 13 million Americans flocking to the backyard poultry scene.

Ownership is spread evenly between rural, urban and suburban households and is similar across racial and ethnic groups. A 2015 review of 150 of the most-populated U.S. cities found that nearly all (93 percent) allowed backyard poultry flocks.

My mother was a wonderful artist. She majored in art at the then-College of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Arkansas, but ended up as a full-time elementary school teacher and mother of five children.

So her artistic opportunities centered more around the delicious meals she created in a crock pot, the expert advice she gave her children when they needed to come up with an art project for school or even the handsome haircuts she created for me to help me not only look good, but also to help save money for our family.

I have a sister who’s also a fantastic artist. It’s evident she inherited my mom’s art skills, but she doesn’t have a lot of time to take those skills out for a drive on canvas much anymore.

These days most of her time is taken up creating safe, happy flights for her passengers as a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines.

After Friday night though, I’m thinking a tiny art gene or two may have actually jumped over from my mom into my DNA strand.

Do you remember the joy you felt in learning to read, of escaping into favorite books, of exploring the world through books? Do you remember a favorite teacher who nurtured your thirst for knowledge?

Harriet Dodder was such a teacher. She began her career in Los Alamos in 1951 and taught here for 40 years. After retirement, she missed working with children so much that she volunteered as a reading tutor at Barranca Elementary School. Mrs. Dodder loved to read and fostered that love in the children she taught.

Research shows that access to books builds literacy. One study of over 600 schools in Texas examined the effects on student achievement of several variables – and the quality of the school library outweighed the effects of other school variables, including computers per student, teacher experience, and even teacher turnover ratio. To inspire readers, school libraries must have a good supply of books; the greater the choice of books, the more children choose to read.

However, the price of books goes up each year while library budgets do not. The average price of a book with a library binding is now $18.

I was so proud last weekend of the youth of our nation standing up to let their voices be heard, it was indeed heard by the entire world.

We need to make that a possibility for every youth. As adults, we need to teach children how and when to speak up so, to have the impact they want or the outcome they desire.

As adults, we may get too anxious to make our point or feel like the place and time just never arrives. There is a time and a place, sometimes we just have to relinquish the control and take the ride.

When does this wisdom come? I’m not sure it is the same for everyone. Some are just born or happen to be in the right place, at the right time. Some have to be forged if you will, pushed and pulled, even if they don’t understand why, especially when things are so easy. Are you willing to put in the work?

You see, as you read this column, I am on the final eve of my 49th year. I turn 50 and while that is child’s play in this town, it is a pretty big number. My brother Nick likes to say, it is the 21st anniversary of our 29th birthday.